Page 54 of One Midnight Kiss

He was a magician in his own right. A wizard weaving a spell over his captive audience. He was animated, gesturing with his hands as he spoke, drawing the crowd in with his charm.

Why couldn’t he charm regular consumers like he did these people? If he could, everyone in the country would buy Hanna.

I tried not to let my nerves show as he caught my eye, smirking as he continued his pitch. The presentation I had helped put together was playing on the massive screen behind him without a hitch, to my great relief. I’d worried it might glitch, but everything was smooth so far. Even my headache seemed to fade.

Fox paused and looked directly at me. Something in his eyes told me to brace myself. I didn’t know for what, but something was coming. “This tech isn’t some shiny new thing to show off,” he said, looking straight at me. “It’s about the home, the family. My fiancée is here today, and we have a Hanna in our home.”

My jaw clenched. Did he really just say that? My eyes widened as a ripple of laughter spread through the crowd. He kept going, his gaze still locked on mine.

“She was nervous about it at first,” he continued, making the audience chuckle again. “Having AI living in our walls seemed a bit too sci-fi. But she came around. She’s brilliant, sharp as a tack. If she thought Hanna was a good idea, I knew it was tech I had to create.”

My heart was pounding in my chest. He wasn’t making up some fictional fiancée for the sake of his presentation—he was talking about me. The real me, with all my flaws and insecurities. He was using my actual reactions, my actual skills, to sell this. The engagement was fake, but he was actually describing me. I felt exposed.

“I designed Hanna with her in mind,” Fox said, his voice softening. “Something that just gets me. Something that makes perfect sense, just like she does.”

The room erupted into applause, and I had to force myself to join in, plastering on a smile. I couldn’t wrap my head around what had just happened. This had not been part of the plan. Fox had gone way off-script and I was frozen in shock.

He continued his speech, playing to the crowd. After, I watched in bewilderment as he deftly tackled questions from the crowd, his answers sparking even more applause.

I had to admit that Fox was doing an incredible job. His charisma was infectious, his pitch flawless. I was barely paying attention to the tech he was talking about. I was looking at the screen behind him with the images of happy families, couples, and even teenagers using Hanna. It was strange to hear Fox talk about us and our home while I was looking at those images.

As the presentation ended and the crowd gave him a standing ovation, I tried to get a grip on my emotions. I clapped along and pretended everything was fine. If I was lucky, I could slip away. I was sure Fox would be tied up for the next couple of hours.

The crowd started to disperse after Fox left the stage. I needed to get out of here, needed a moment to breathe.

Before I could make my escape, Fox appeared at my side, flanked by a small group of investors and tech industry bigwigs. They were all buzzing with excitement, congratulating him and, to my dismay, congratulating us.

“I didn’t know you were engaged,” one of them said, giving me an impressed look. “This makes so much sense now, Fox. I can see why you’re so invested in this project.”

I managed a polite laugh, feeling like I was going to be sick. Fox was basking in the attention, looking more relaxed than I had ever seen him. He met my gaze, and I could see the triumph in his eyes. He lied easily. There was no hesitation as he told them about me and the tech. He talked like it was all the most natural thing in the world.

I felt like I was in a dream. I did my best to play along, choosing to smile and nod to avoid saying the wrong thing.

Eventually, the investors moved on, and it was just the two of us. I rounded on him, trying to keep my voice steady. “Why did you do that to me?”

Fox’s smile faltered. “What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean,” I snapped, pulling off the ring and holding it out to him. “I get what you were doing. I do. It worked. But that—this?” I gestured between us. “This wasn’t part of the deal. You should have talked to me first. I don’t appreciate being blindsided. You can’t just spring that on someone in front of thousands of people.”

He looked at the ring in my hand and let out a dark chuckle, shaking his head. “What exactly did that prick do to you, Natalia?”

My breath caught in my throat. How did he know I was thinking about Andrew? It was like he could see right through me, peeling back the layers of armor I’d built up over the past year.

That scared the shit out of me.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and cut through the crowded convention center, ignoring the curious looks I got as I pushed past people. I needed space, needed air. The sun was bright when I stepped outside. I wanted to take a second to appreciate the warmth, but not now. I had to get away from him.

I hurried back to the hotel, barely paying attention to the traffic. I rushed into the elevator and pressed the button for my floor, desperate to put as much distance between us as possible.

Unfortunately, Fox slipped into the elevator just before the doors closed. He didn’t say anything, just leaned against the wall, watching me with a concerned expression.

I glared at him. “What the hell are you doing, Fox?”